ISLAMABAD : A new study has found that electric cookers in the home can effectively sanitize N95 respirators, which are key pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
\nA key part of the world\u2019s effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is the use of PPE.
\nCOVID-19 typically spreads when a person expels droplets carrying the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, from their mouth or nose.
\nIf the droplets come into contact with another person, there is a chance that they will gain access to their respiratory tract, where the virus will infect cells to cause disease.
\nPPE can take the form of gowns, visors, gloves, and masks. It forms a barrier between people and is crucial for care workers and clinical staff who may be in close contact with people with SARS-CoV-2.
\nThe sudden emergence and rapid spread of the new coronavirus have created a huge demand for PPE. This demand has, in many cases, outstripped supply. This means that many carers and clinical staff who need the equipment are having to make do with substandard products or without any PPE at all.
\nThis not only puts carers\u2019 lives at risk but also significantly increases the chances of the virus spreading, thereby also endangering other people\u2019s lives.
\nMasks are an important part of PPE; they both protect the wearer from infection and stop the wearer from spreading the virus to others. The gold standard in masks is N95 respirators, which not only block droplets but can also block 95% of fine particles \u2014 hence the name N95.
\nN95 masks are one of the mask types that the World Health Organization (WHO)recommend for use in COVID-19 intensive care units, indicating their efficacy.
\nAs study co-author Prof. Thanh Nguyen, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, points out, \u201cA cloth mask or surgical mask protects others from droplets the wearer might expel, but a respirator mask protects the wearer by filtering out smaller particles that might carry the virus.\u201d
\nHowever, these respirators are in short supply. Authorities in the United States do not recommend that the public wear N95 respirators. This is to prevent putting even more strain on the supply of the masks.
\nIn light of this short supply, recent research has explored the viability of decontaminating N95 respirators, which manufacturers typically design for single use.
\nIn the new study, the researchers had five conditions for an effective decontamination process:
\n1.\tIt should kill a variety of viruses.
\n2.\tIt should not negatively affect the respirator\u2019s filtration ability.
\n3.\tIt should still let the respirator maintain a tight fit against a person\u2019s face.
\n4.\tIt should not leave harmful chemicals on the respirator.
\n5.\tThe process should be easily accessible.
\nAccording to study co-author Prof. Vishal Verma, also of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, \u201cThere are many different ways to sterilize something, but most of them will destroy the filtration or the fit of an N95 respirator.\u201d
\n\u201cAny sanitation method would need to decontaminate all surfaces of the respirator, but equally important is maintaining the filtration efficacy and the fit of the respirator to the face of the wearer. Otherwise, it will not offer the right protection.\u201d
\nBased on these five conditions, the researchers speculated that dry heat may be able to successfully sterilize an N95 respirator. A variety of household appliances, including electric ovens and rice cookers, can produce dry heat without producing harmful chemicals and with a low risk of damaging filtration.
\nThe researchers did three experiments:
\n\u2022\tThe first was to determine the effectiveness of decontamination. It involved four viruses, including a coronavirus with a structure similar to that of SARS-CoV-2.
\n\u2022\tThe second was to determine filtration.
\n\u2022\tThe third was to determine fit.
\nAfter running a series of tests heating N95 respirators in a commercially available electric cooker, the researchers found that 50 minutes of dry heat at 212\u00baF (100\u00baC) could decontaminate the masks without reducing their effectiveness.
\nThe electric cooker decontaminated the masks, inside and out, even more effectively than UV light.
\n\u201cWe built a chamber in my aerosol-testing lab specifically to look at the filtration of the N95 respirators, and [we] measured particles going through it,\u201d says Prof. Verma.
\n\u201cThe respirators maintained their filtration capacity of more than 95% and kept their fit, still properly seated on the wearer\u2019s face, even after 20 cycles of decontamination in the electric cooker.\u201d
\nThe researchers hope that their findings may be valuable for small clinical units that are unable to access enough N95 respirators or for members of the public who have an old N95 respirator at home.
\nThe scientists have produced a video giving instructions on how to go about decontamination, pointing out that people should separate the respirators from the surface of the cooker using a towel. They also suggest that people stack multiple respirators together and decontaminate them all in one go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD : A new study has found that electric cookers in the home can effectively sanitize N95 respirators, which are key pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A key part of the world\u2019s effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is the use of PPE. COVID-19 typically spreads when a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n